In her 1998 book Blues Legacies and Black Feminism, Angela Y. Davis bases her analysis in part on recordings of...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In her 1998 book Blues Legacies and Black Feminism, Angela Y. Davis bases her analysis in part on recordings of songs sung in the 1920s by Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey and Bessie Smith. Davis focuses on how Rainey and Smith improvised the lyrics—replacing the original lines with mischievous jokes and wordplay. Davis's work was particularly labor intensive because in order to transcribe, or write down, the lyrics as Rainey and Smith sang them, Davis had to listen repeatedly to the vinyl recordings, which weren't very clear.
What does the text most strongly suggest about the songs sung by Rainey and Smith?
The songs have grown in popularity since Rainey and Smith first sang them.
There were more recordings made of Rainey's songs than there were of Smith's.
There were few, if any, reliable transcriptions of Smith's and Rainey's improvised lyrics when Davis began her research.
According to Davis, the songs sung by Rainey were more musically innovative than those sung by Smith typically were.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "In her 1998 book Blues Legacies and Black Feminism, Angela Y. Davis bases her analysis in part on recordings of songs sung in the 1920s by Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey and Bessie Smith." |
|
| "Davis focuses on how Rainey and Smith improvised the lyrics—replacing the original lines with mischievous jokes and wordplay." |
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| "Davis's work was particularly labor intensive because in order to transcribe, or write down, the lyrics as Rainey and Smith sang them, Davis had to listen repeatedly to the vinyl recordings, which weren't very clear." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Angela Davis's analysis of 1920s blues songs by Rainey and Smith required intensive effort because she had to transcribe improvised lyrics from unclear vinyl recordings.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Davis's research project, narrows to her specific focus on lyrical improvisation, then explains the practical difficulty she faced due to poor recording quality that required repeated listening to transcribe the songs accurately.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? What the text most strongly suggests about the songs sung by Rainey and Smith
What type of answer do we need? An inference based on evidence in the passage - something the text implies rather than states directly
Any limiting keywords? "Most strongly suggests" - we need the inference most supported by the passage evidence
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage tells us that Davis had to do "particularly labor intensive" work because she needed to "listen repeatedly to the vinyl recordings, which weren't very clear" in order to transcribe the lyrics
- This suggests that transcribing these songs was unusually difficult - if reliable transcriptions already existed, Davis wouldn't have needed to do this painstaking work herself
- The emphasis on the recordings being unclear and requiring repeated listening points to a problem with accessing these lyrics in written form
- So the right answer should indicate that there was a lack of reliable written versions of these improvised lyrics available when Davis began her research
The songs have grown in popularity since Rainey and Smith first sang them.
- Claims the songs have grown in popularity since the 1920s
- The passage focuses on Davis's research methodology, not on the songs' popularity over time
- No evidence provided about changing popularity levels
There were more recordings made of Rainey's songs than there were of Smith's.
- Claims there were more recordings of Rainey's songs than Smith's
- The passage treats both singers equally and provides no comparative data about recording quantities
There were few, if any, reliable transcriptions of Smith's and Rainey's improvised lyrics when Davis began her research.
- Suggests few reliable transcriptions existed when Davis began her research
- Directly supported by Davis needing to do "particularly labor intensive" transcription work herself
- The "unclear" vinyl recordings requiring "repeated listening" implies written versions weren't readily available
According to Davis, the songs sung by Rainey were more musically innovative than those sung by Smith typically were.
- Claims Davis found Rainey's songs more musically innovative than Smith's
- The passage mentions Davis focused on both singers' lyrical improvisation equally
- No comparative judgment about innovation levels is presented in the text